Ethno-Nationalism, Islam and the State in the Caucasus

Book excerpt: The region of the Caucasus with its ongoing, and even deteriorating, crises and instability, and its critical strategic and economic importance, is increasingly at the focus of the world's attention. This book discusses the complexities and interplay among important forces at work in the region, including different brands of Islam, nationalisms, ethnic identities, local bureaucracies, Moscow’s policies and influences from the outside.